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Archived at the Flinders Academic Commons: http://dspace.flinders.edu.au/dspace/ Daalder, J. (Ed.). (1982). Thyestes (J. Heywood, Trans.) (New Mermaids series). London: Ernest Benn Limited. Copyright (1982) Ernest Benn Limited. Published version of the text reproduced here with permission from the editor and the publisher. Personal use of this material is permitted. that to reprint/republish this material for Please note advertising or promotional purposes, or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works, permission must be obtained from the editor and the publisher. I vi SE~ECAIHEYWOOD If L. A N. S e N E C A E CHORVS. Anaporfrici,pra-ur unum & alrcrum Adonlum. vo tm.trurn,{uprrionq; parrns, Q Cuius ttd ort us noCl1s opac~C Dtc~M omnr fogit,quo Ut'rtls rtt"rf J..'itdioq; dmn pnd1s Olympof Cur Phcxbe tuos .rapls aJPcCl~Mf :Nondum {ru.nuntiuf bor~C N ott urn auocat .lumina urjptr. ·.~~ fa)cnrra rnhtulrb ~hp~ Non®m Htf1mi.~:flrxur~t rot~ rftrs fdUbfullr 4'n;h1 Jubtt cmrricos {olun-e CU7Tu5. (brb bP }afprr ""'~ :N ond&~m in r.oflrm urrgrntr die tDool' frlfotut of Tttti.t mifit buccin11 fignum. 3:1Coln£ .Cob Stupct ad {ubit~C ttmpord cCXM lcgt Non dum fofTu bub~M 4Tdtor. CR _,JfOJble QEid tt td'rtio ptpulit c:ur{u! Qg.c C.tU{4 tUOJ finUtt CrTtO Driedt equosfnunquid dperto IMPRINTED AT Cdl'ure DitJ) uiCli,trntztnt konbon an 1lrtrftncc BeUd gigdntcstnunquid Tit''" an tbr bf»ae lata Pettore fiffo rrncuat uetms C[bomae 15tr:; Saucitu ir.t~fnum reidlo r~dcUt8. Latus txpticuit monte T bypboe!Uf •ftnnitur Nunquid•firuitur ui.t Pbleguos ~nno. J 56 e. Alt:Zf. per boftesfc- T beff41icum 2 6.dic Man.,. TbreJTtt pmmtur Pelion 6ffaf Soliu mundi prrirrc uices. Nibil occa{tu,nibil ortus rrit. Stupet Eoos ttJTum. deo . Trdtrt Act IV, Chorus, in Gryphius' editzon (I 541 ) [Dedication] To the Right Honourable Sir John Mason, Knight, one of the Queen's Majesty's Privy Council, his daily ora­ tor jasper Heywood wishes health with increase of honour and virtue. As bounden breast doth bear the poorest wight That duty doth in trifling token send, As he that doth with plenteous present quite Of prouder price and glitt'ring gold his friend, Who so repay'th with money's mighty mass 5 The good that he at other's hands hath found, Remembrance of the benefice doth pass; He thinks himself to him no longer bound. The poor, whose pow'r may not with price repay The great good gifts that he receiv'd before, 10 Dedication (called 'The Ep1stle' in 1560): john Mason (1503-66) was appointed to the Privy Council in 1543, and was Chancellor of Oxford Universitv when, in 1560, H dedicated Th_y~ces to him. Apart from being Mason·~ 'daily orator' (Petitioner), H had been friendly ,,.,th his decea~ed son. Mason had b«n a Fellow of All Souls College before H, who became one in 1558, ~rhaps with Mason's help, after he had earlier that year been forced to resign as a Fdlow of Merton College. H t$ expressing graurude to an effective patron. Cf H's 'Preface', 173 ff. 1-4 1\s . • friend The poorest creature, though acknowledging that he bears a 'bounden breast', sometimes repays his benefactor just as inadequately as the rich man. because, also lacklng in 'thankful thought' (II), he instead sends, as his debt (dury), no more than a trifling token ofwhat be should see as his real ob!Jgation--something requiring attention, DO( ~rfunctorinesa. 2 rrifling (also)false, feiping 3 quire requite 4 prouder merely that, because the difference with the poor man is one of degree only, m this lund of action 7 beneflce kindncs., fa,"OUr (which price, 4, cannot com~nsate for) 7 ~neglect, let s!Jp by 3 4 SENECA!HEYWOOD With thankful thought yet gogin gift doth sway, Above the peise of pearl and gold great store. If puissant prince at poor man's hand once took A radish root, and was therewith content, The translator Your Honour then I pray this little book 15 to the book. To take in worth that I to you present; Which though itself a volume be but small, Yet greater gift it gives than ween ye might; Thou little book my messenger must be Though it a barren book be throughout all That must from me to wight of honour go; Full fruitless, yet not faithless sign in sight 20 Behave thee humbly, bend to him thy knee, It shows of him that for Your Honour prays And thee to him in lowly manner show. (As deeds of yours of him deserved have) But do thou not thyself to him present 5 That God above prolong your happy days, When with affairs thou shalt him troubled see; And make the skies your seat soon after grave. Thou shalt, perhaps, so worthily be shent, · And with reproof he thus will say to thee, 'So proudly thus pre~ume how darest thou At such a time so rashly to appear? 10 With things of weight thou seest me burd'ned now, I may not yet to trifles give mine ear.' Spy well thy time, when thou him seest alone, An idle hour for thee shall be most meet; Then step thou forth, in sight of him anone, 15 And as behoves, His Honour humbly greet. Bm now take heed what Ito thee shall tell, And all by rote this lesson take with thee; In every thing thyself to order well In sight of him, give ear and learn of me. 20 First, what or whence thou art if he would wit, Then see that thou thy title to him show, Tell him thy name is in thy forehead writ, By which he shall both thee and me well know. Then when he hath once look'd upon thy name, 25 If yet he shall neglect to read the re~t, Or if he chide and say thou art to blame With trifles such to have him so oppress'd, Beseech him yet thereof to pardon thee, Since thou art but thy master's messenger­ 30 Excuse thyself and lay the fault in me, At whose commandment thus thou com'st in there. II fOGin i.~. gudgeon. u>ed adj~tivally for 'very smaU', though 'll13nkfulthought' JS m fa.: I 'great store' (with •way=gi,·~ wdght tol; gudgron also may mnn 'pi\"O!al' ,with If my presumption then accuse he do, $1l'li)"=IDO\"C £0 and fro) Jl ~i.<c weight 2 "·ight ofhonour honourable penon, i.e 51.1' john Mason (cf. !Xd~Cation' B J(pui<.unc pnn..~ ff. an allusion to an anecdote; for detaili cf. D\' i so "urrhil.r in a IIWlller descni:lg of that action 15 licrlc book i.e. o.:u,-o, a.< the 1560 Tbyesc~ ts 7 s.b~nr rebuked; disgraced 16 L~ worrh in good part, as som~tlung ,-.Juable in its own way I~ aoondi.e. anon.\ at once IS IO"C<'D think 21 107r know, learn 5 6 SENECAIHEYWOOD If deed so rash of mine he do reprO\·e That I thee dare attempt to send him to, Beware thou speak nothing for my beho,·e. 35 Nor do thou nor excuse my fault in aught, But rather yet confess to him the same The Preface And say there may a fault in me be thought Which to excuse it doubleth but the blame. Yet with my boldness him beseech to bear 40 It was the four and twentieth day of latest month save one And pardon give to this my enterprise; Of all the year, when flow'r and fruit from field and tree were A wonhy thing in wight of honour were gone, A present poor to take in thankful wise. And sadder season such ensu'd as dulls the doleful sprites For tell him, though thou slender \'Olume be, And Muse of men that wonted were to wander in delights; Ungreeing gift for state-of-honour guest, 45 And weather such there was as well became the pensive pen s Yet dost thou sign of duty bring with thee With sorry style of woes to write and eke of mischief, when And pledge thou art of truly bounden breast. Aurora blush'd with ruddy cheeks to wail the death again And thou for him art come for to confess, Of Phoebus' son, whom thunderbolt of mighty Jove had slain; And clouds from high began to throw their dreary tears adown, His headman bound to be for his desart, 10 And how ro him he grants he ow'th no less, 50 And Venus from the skies above on Friday foul to frown; ~or gi\·es no more, but note of thankful heart. When (as at book with mazed Muse I sat and pensive thought In all the rest that he to thee shall say Deep drown'd in dumps -of drowsiness as change of weather Thv '1\it shaU serve an answer well to make. wrought) Thou hast thine errand, get thee hence away, I felt how Morpheus bound my brows and eke my temples The gods thee speed, to them I thee betake. 55 stroke, That down I sunk my heavy head and slept upon my book. Then dream'd I thus, that by my side me thought I saw one stand 15 That down to ground m scarlet gown was dight; and in his hand 1-1 Ic ••• _w:ar H staned work on his translation on 24th November, 1559; it "''ll$ pubtished on 26th M.arch, 1560 6 sorry expressing dist~ss 6 cniM:hicf misfonune; evil-doing.
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